


French Letters

by sassenach_on_the_rocks51



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-09 07:50:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11100159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassenach_on_the_rocks51/pseuds/sassenach_on_the_rocks51
Summary: *This story has been modified from its original format. It has been changed to fit your screen**The character of Arno Dorian doesnt belong to me of course. That honor belongs to Ubisoft*In their search to uncover more clues, Abstergo has tasked their employees with purchasing whole estates in hopes of finding more unknown Assassin descendants. A old wooden box has arrived at a young mans desk and what he finds may surprise him





	1. Unsealed-Letter 1

The box was much older and dustier than Caleb expected to find. All he had been told in the email was that a box would be waiting for him on his desk and that his job was to search for any clues. He shook his head. He had heard through the proverbial grapevine that the bosses upstairs were more hungry than ever for clues following the recent events in Madrid. Of course they wouldnt tell them exactly what happened in Madrid, only that the facility was being re-purposed, whatever that entailed. 

The box was wooden of course. Perhaps the size of a modern shoebox. There was an old key lock, but that was rusted beyond belief. Caleb reached for his can of air cleaner and set to work cleaning it off. Once the dust had settled, Caleb further examined the lock and along with being rusted, it also looked as if it had been jimmied already. Taking his letter opener, he managed to pry it open after a few seconds. 

Caleb wasnt sure what he expected, but all he could see was what appeared to be letters. The box wasent completely full of them, but there was a fair amount. Picking one up, he noticed they were not in traditional envelopes. They had been folded notes, sealed with wax much like in centuries past. Examining the wax seal, he found that it was blue with what looked like an "A" in the middle.

No time like the present, Caleb thought and opened the letter.

"My sweet rose,

Once again, I must leave you before you wake. The nights we spend together pass far too quickly and every night I pray that God will hold back the sunrise so I might spend just a few more moments in your arms. A few more moments of your warmth, the sweet smell of your hair, these very things are among the few things that I treasure in these very different times. No matter where I am, these thoughts give me strength. Rest well my love and I shall return to you soon. Watch for me.

-Arno Dorian"

Caleb knew that he should go ahead and email his supervisor. To find a clue about a known assassin so quickly could move him up the ranks. But Caleb also knew from experience with the higher-ups that they would want more than just this to start off with. For all he knew, this would be the only letter from Arno. He didnt wanna go in with crumbs. 

Caleb went to refill his coffee. He settled in, put his phone on silent and reached for the next letter. He hoped there was more to find.


	2. Letter 2

"My Sweet Rose,

It has been a few days since I saw you and for that I am sorry. My work has taken me out of our beloved city and Ive no idea when I will return. Even though our city is thriving once again, the smaller towns have seen no such blessings. Ive found myself telling many citizens that the terror is over these last few years now, but many still live in fear. As the days pass, I think back to your warm smile and comforting arms and ache to return to them as soon as possible. I will send word again soon my rose, fear not. 

-Arno Dorian"

Caleb pondered a moment. Reading the letters he initially wondered if "Sweet Rose" was Arno's one known paramour Elise de la Serre, but a quick check of the archives revealed to him that Elise had not survived the revolution. Arno Dorian had proven over the years to be one of the biggest challenges to Abstergo in that he kept to himself so much that anything attached to him was a rare find indeed. In fact the only items of his that could be found amounted to a few weapons and a watch. 

He looked to his phone and saw that he still had a ways to go before the end of his shift. He reached back into the box and was rewarded with another letter bearing the same seal. Another mouthful of coffee down the hatch and away he went. He hoped this next letter would prove more entertaining.


	3. Letter 3

"My sweet rose,  
I am returning to you soon. I wish I could tell you when to expect me, but where is the fun in that? You told me once that you often dream of me chasing you though the forests or chasing you through the streets, hunting you slowly until I capture you and carry you to my bed. Perhaps I will this time. Perhaps I'm closer than you think. Watch for me my rose and be ready.  
-Arno Dorian."

Still "sweet rose" and no actual name, Caleb observed. Of course there was the possibility that this woman's name actually was Rose but unless one of the next letters offered any other name, it wasnt much. Caleb looked over the letters again and noticed that not one of them were addressed formally. How was this woman getting these letters, Caleb wondered. The only possible answer was that Arno was having a fellow assassin carry them when he wasent in Paris. Perhaps he was wanting to keep her out of sight from either the brotherhood or the Templars. Arno was known for keeping his cards to his chest so it went right along with his profile. 

Caleb was about to reach for another letter when a notification popped up on his tablet. It was his supervisor Hetfield calling on video chat. He figured he might as well answer. 

"What do you have for us Mr. Dameron?"

"An old box filled with letters. Written in french from the 17th century. "

"Ah. Anything from Brotherhood?" he asked.

Caleb sighed. He really didnt want to say anything as he didnt have much yet. Though he knew if his supervisor suspected he was hiding something, he would have no problem coming in and taking it himself. Hetfield was an ass like that. And of course Hetfield noted his hesitation.

"What did you find Dameron?"

"Ive only gone through 3 of the letters and they appear to be from Arno Dorian, written to a mistress of his."

Hetfield sat up ever so slightly. "Letters huh. Which mistress? Not de la Serre?"

"As best as I can tell, no. From the few letters he sent Miss de la Serre, he never referred to her by a nickname."

"Hmm, and are we sure its the one and only Arno Dorian?" Hetfield asked.

"Its still early Sir," Caleb offered. He turned his web browser on and entered a search for Arno Dorian and the years he was known to be active. One advantage of working for Abstergo was having access to records that the general public knew nothing about. 

"Im running a search now and will see what I can find."

"Report back when you have more" Hetfield replied and ended the call.

Caleb rubbed his eyes in frustration. Any hope he had for getting through all the letters before making a report was out the window. If he was right and this woman was only a mistress, the chances of finding any useful information was greatly varied. Historical figures of the past were well known to tell mistresses things the wouldnt tell their own wives and thats what Abstergo was counting on. 

Looking back to his web query, it was still running. Caleb decided to grab himself a quick bite while he was waiting. He got the impression this project was going to give him a headache in more ways than one.


	4. Gossip Channels

Caleb ventured out into the break room and made his way to the snack machine, Finding his favorite cheese crackers were in stock, he bought as much as he had the change for. He’d no sooner grabbed his items from the bottom when he heard a voice behind him.  
“Struck gold already Dameron?”  
Caleb looked behind him to see Sam Anderson leaning on the door frame. He wasent surprised that Sam already knew considering that Sam had a reputation around Abstergo for knowing things he wasn’t supposed to know. This particular skill Caleb found to be both useful and annoying at times, the later being the case here.  
“Not sure if its gold yet Sam. Could be pyrite for all I know.” Caleb said.  
Sam stood there with a smirk on his face.  
“Anytime you find anything on an Assassin no matter how big or small its gold. Besides I heard you found letters and those can be more entertaining than the latest season of OITNB on Netflix. Tell me, were they dirty?”  
Caleb frowned. “Your definition of dirty could vary greatly from mine.”  
“You’d be surprised.” Sam smiled. “Anyways I best get back and actually work for once. Let me know if any of them are dirty. I could use some entertainment.” He walked off.  
Caleb walked back to his station. Having only been at Abstergo for over a month, he still had a lot to learn about the people they were researching and he knew it. On some days he was still surprised that he was actually hired, but his skills with languages seemed to impressed the scouts at his college and he was grateful to find a job so quickly.  
Back at his desk, he remembered the protocol of transcribing any documents and loading them to the master drive. He grabbed the first three and quickly had them finished. He debated opening another letter, but decided it would be better to actually read further on Arno before he continued. Perhaps if he had a better understanding of his subject,he could spot clues in the letters easier.  
Caleb pulled up the dossier and was greeted with a write up put together by a profiler. Reading it over, one would have thought this man was a criminal of the most dangerous type. Along with the profile, there looked to be a computer generated sketch of Arno, put together based off DNA samples gathered from his few descendants. Looking him over, Caleb found him to be rather handsome. A bit standoffish perhaps, but very handsome nonetheless. In his getup he could easily imagine the ladies swooning over him.  
A sharp noise brought Caleb’s attention to his query. Only one result had come back: Arno Victor Dorian. So it is him, Caleb thought. The bosses will be pleased. He looked back to the box and sighed. Once more into the breech.


	5. Voices Carry

Caleb reached for the next letter and opened it. Remembering that he had a voice program on his computer, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and have the letter transcribed as he read it. He grabbed his headset microphone, opened a new document and activated the voice program.

"Letter number four from the Assassin Arno Dorian to an unknown mistress. Letter is undated"

"My sweet rose.   
Our reunion has brought me more joy than you can ever know. Those long nights away from you in the provinces were torturous and I pray that my work in the future will keep me closer to you. I confess I greatly enjoyed hunting for you. Looking in all of our favorite places, hoping for a glimpse of your wondrous form, I wondered if I might find you waiting for me in your bedchamber or perhaps mine. The longer it took me to find you, the hungrier for you I became and when I found you in the Luxembourg gardens, I thought I might devour you whole. As I write this letter, I find that despite only seeing you this past night, my hunger for you remains as strong as ever and I must have more of you soon. Join me in my chambers tonight my sweet rose, so that I may feast on the sweet ambrosia that is your flesh.

-Arno Dorian"

Caleb re-read the last part of the letter and found himself feeling a tad flush. Despite being a young man who had more than his share of carnal adventures, something about this letter stirred something in him. Here he was, no closer to finding out who this mistress might be and he found his imagination running rampant, trying to imagine the mistress who inspired an assassin like this. Caleb assumed that she must have been an extraordinary woman to draw out the affections of a man who for as far as Caleb knew, had his heart destroyed by the loss of his beloved Elise de la Serre. But knowing his own sex, Caleb found himself wondering if Arno's affections for this woman truly matched those he had for Elise or if this woman was nothing more than mere physical comfort during a stressful time. The letters were certainly affectionate enough, but Arno wouldnt have been the first man or Assassin for that matter to woo someone for mere companionship. What was the truth of these letters?

Caleb might have pondered the question for sometime if it hadnt before the sound of someone walking in, that someone being Sam Anderson.

"So has it gotten interesting?" he asked. Caleb motioned for him to come behind the desk.

"See for yourself."

Sam scanned the letter quickly, his face mostly impassive.

"Eh,Ive read dirtier posts on Tumblr."

"Im sure you have, Sam" Caleb replied as he saved the document.

Sam made himself comfy on the edge of the desk. "With you being fluent in French, Im surprised you didnt try reading it in a french accent."

Caleb sighed as he turned away from the screen. "Ive tried that before, except the voice program doesnt respond well to it. That and my accent isnt that great anyways"

"You sounded just fine to me a few minutes ago" Sam smirked.

"And why may I ask were you listing in?"

"Come on Caleb, you know I have a voice kink and I just had to hear a young man from the midwest attempt a snooty french accent. By the way, you should really use that on your next date. I bet the ladies would love it."

"How do you know I havent?" Caleb asked levelly. 

"Thats the spirit." Sam smiled. 

Caleb sighed internally. He didnt know how Sam managed to keep his job with Abstergo, considered he appeared to spend more time walking around than actually working. Now that he thought of it, he didnt know much of what Sam did. 

"I thought you were going to do actual work Sam?"

"Oh I did, Well that is I started and then I said to myself 'Sam, I bet Caleb will come across some great letters and he will forget to share', so here I am."

"Well if I come across any more, I promise I will let you know." Caleb replied, hoping Sam would leave him in peace.

"Excellent. Well I will go check on progress. Tah." and with that Sam left. 

No sooner had he left than Caleb rose and locked his office door. His concentration broken, he looked at his watch and saw it was almost noon. He picked up the letter again, hoping to regain his focus. Tracing his fingers over the words, he tried again to imagine this mysterious woman. For all he knew, she could have been a veritable clone of Elise, or she could have looked nothing like her. How did Arno meet her, he wondered? What drew him to her, after such a mourning period? Better yet, what drew her to him and what did she know of Arno, the real Arno. 

Caleb decided he needed an expert opinion. Since he couldnt share his work with friends, he looked up the employee directory and saw that there was a psychologist on staff, a Dr Charlotte Croft. Caleb recognized the name from Arno's file as she had done a profile on him. He looked up the extension and dialed. He hoped she hadnt left for lunch yet.


	6. Consultation

Caleb punched in the number to Dr. Croft's office. After five rings, all he got was her voicemail inbox. Caleb left a quick message.

"Hello Dr Croft, this is Caleb Dameron from Linguistics. I was wondering if I could speak with you for a few moments regarding a profile on the Assassin Arno Dorian. I can be reached at my office number or via Lotus Notes. Thank you."

Caleb hung up. Deciding to grab lunch, he opened the door and saw that one of the cafeteria staff was pushing a sandwich cart. He purchased an Italian sub and chips and settled in to eat. He was about half way through his sandwich when he heard a knock on the door. 

"Come in"

In walked in a very professionally dressed woman, carrying a tablet as well as a sack.

"Hello Mr. Dameron, Im Dr Croft. I just got your message and thought Id swing by on the way back"

Caleb rose and shook Dr. Croft's hand. He motioned for her to have a seat.

"Thank you for seeing me on short notice Dr. Croft. I was hoping to get your view on some letters written by Arno Dorian."

"What kind of letters are these?"

"They are love letters to a currently unknown mistress. The only information I have on her is a possible name or nickname. A "Sweet Rose"

Dr Croft regarded him a moment. "Well Rose was a fairly common name then to my knowledge. May I see these letters?" 

Caleb moved the monitor to show the translated letters still on his screen. Much like Sam, Dr Croft scanned them quickly. After she finished, she looked towards the open letters still sitting out.

"May I see those?" Caleb quickly handed them to her. 

Dr Croft turned over each of the letters carefully. As she examined them, Caleb observed her facial expressions. He found that she was hard to read.

"Are these the only letters?"

"No, there are still more in this box." Caleb replied.

"Are they all like this, sealed in wax and no address?"

Caleb riffled through the remaining letters in the box. Sure enough, all of them were the same. "Yes, they are. So what do you think Doctor?"

"First I need to know what you think, Mr Dameron."

Caleb was slightly confused. "What do I think Doctor? About the letters?"

"Yes" she replied.

"We'll just based off what Ive read so far, these are just the words of a guy romancing a girl in big city, when he happens to be there. Because there are no dates, I have no way of knowing how long this was going on. These could be weeks or months apart. "

Doctor Croft nodded. "They are at the very least that. The thing with letters though is that its not always about whats said, sometimes its what not being said that is the most important"

Caleb was curious. "How so Doctor?"

Turning one of the letters over, Doctor Croft looked over the front. " Well to start off with, there is no name nor any form off address on this letter, only a wax seal. That tells me that whomever this woman was, he was probably courting her in secret, which means she was still living with family and her family was not aware of this. Granted she could have been a woman with an evening trade, but even so, the fact that the letter isnt addressed at all tells me that they were probably left either on her window or in a place only they knew about. Remember this was a time that women lived with family until they married, if a woman lived alone she was either a widow or not a woman with a high standing."

"Could he have been courting an engaged or even a married woman?" Caleb wondered.

"Considering many marriages back then were financial arrangements, that is certainly possible. Remember that at one point, engagements meant that you were as good as married."

Caleb nodded. "So what else are these letters telling us?"

"Well for one, he's not telling her what he's doing. At least not in detail here. Thing about wives and mistresses is one usually knows more than the other. Mistresses have a tendancy to know about the more unscrupulous dealings, though wives often figure it out anyways. If I remember correctly, Arno was known in public as the owner of a Cafe and several social clubs, so as far as this woman knew, he was a businessman."

"Wouldnt a businessman be considered suitable?"

"It would depend upon her families standing. Based off this alone, I would say she knew her family wouldnt approve. Especially considering the nature of these letters. "

Caleb thought a moment. "And if this woman was a widow?"

"It would depend on how she was left. If she was wealthy, she could probably live well enough and keep to herself, though she would have been subjected to a different set of rules. If she wasnt wealthy, it was either back to her family if they would have her or off to a convent"

"What's the likelyhood that she knew the real Arno?"

"If she was just a mistresses, Id say better than most, but thats the catch: no one ever truly knows the other person. No matter how much they may or may not share between them. Without reading all of them, I cant give a further answer just yet, but I will say this, Arno Dorian meant something to her for her to keep these. Women have a tendancy to keep these for one of two things, sentiment or evidence. "

"One last question Doctor, what kind of woman would be drawn to a man like Arno Dorian?"

Doctor Croft smiled "Well speaking for myself personally, he is a handsome sort. And he is certainly free with his affections which many women can appreciate. I can imagine this woman saw a lonely, hurt man and wanted to make him feel better. Of course, that may not be the case. But maybe one of those letters will have the answer. And for now I must get back."

Caleb rose to escort her out. "Thank you Doctor, you have been a great help"

"My pleasure, Mr Dameron. Oh if you really want to know more, look for a file called Unity on the main server. I think it will assist you greatly."

"Whats in the file?" Caleb asked.

"You'll see" Doctor Croft replied and started to leave "Oh and dont tell anyone I told you."

Caleb stood confused as the Doctor left. He closed the door behind her and returned to his desk. He had new information to aid him in his search but he wasnt sure how to proceed. There were still more letters in the box and now there was the file the doctor had mentioned. Caleb decided to leave it to chance. Taking a coin he had in his desk, he prepared to flip it. Heads meant more letters. Tails meant the Unity file. Caleb flipped the coin and waited for his answer.


End file.
